Wire mesh fabric



Dec; 17, 1935. N. s. HARTER 2,024,796

' WIRE MESH FABRIC Filed Fb.'17, 1954 7 Jaw/122T: -J5 J J6 /l/0a/ z/ (if/01 721.

M4 W I,

Patented Dec. 17, 1935 E sn rare Noah S. Barter, Wauhegan, 111., assignor to Cy= clone Fence (Company, Waukegan, Hit, a corporation of llllinois Application February 17,

19%,Serial No. times in Claims. (or res-1c) The invention relates to wire mesh fabric and has reference more particularly to a new and improved fabric that can be cheaply manufactured, and which will fulfill all requirements of service.

Wire mesh fabric such as used for fly screens and fabric of similar construction but 'made of heavier Wire and of larger mesh is in extensive use and is manufactured by automatic weaving -machines in large quantities. These machines employ an oscillating shuttle for weaving the transverse strands and which is carried from one side of the fabric to the other by reciprocating shuttle bars. The transverse strands in the type of fabric now in commercial use is continuous from end to end and the operation of weaving the same is interrupted when the material sup-- plied by the shuttle is exhausted, requiring the operator to reload the shuttle before weaving is resumed. Wire meshfabric of heavy wire presents manufacturing difiiculties as the shuttle will carry only a limited quantity of heavy wire and to increase the size of the shuttle and shuttle bars beyond a certain point materially slows down the speed of the machines. Therefore the shuttle requires frequent reloading necessitating frequent interruptions in the operation of the machines which means that a machine produces less fabric as the size of the wire increases and further requires more attention, adding to the cost of production. In other words, the quantity produced by any particular machine, other factors remain: ing the same, decreases as the size and weight of the wire going to make up the fabric increases.

An object of the invention is to provide a wire fabric of improved design which will overcome the manufacturmg difliculties mentioned above and which will require only minor changes in existing weaving machines to adapt them to the new fabric.

Another object is to provide a wire mesh fabric of new design that can be cheaply manufactured irrespective of the size and weight of the wire and at a cost below the manufacturing costs for the type offabric now in commercial use.-

. A further object is'to provide a new and improved wire mesh fabric having selvage edges formed by joining bent end portions of adjacent transverse strands and which edges are reinforced by the overlapping of the portions thus joined.

With these and other objects in view, the invention may consist of certainnovel features of construction and operation, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawing and claims appended hereto.

In the drawing which illustrates an embodimerit of the device and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts- I Figure l is a plan view showing wire mesh fabric constructd in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view on line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the particular curvature given the ends of the bent portions;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing a modified dem sign of fabric; and

Figure 4 is a; plan view illustrating a further modification in design.

Referring particularly to Figure 1 the fabric of the invention consists of a plurality of longitu- 15 dinal strands it alternating with longitudinal strands i2 and interwoven with a plurality of transverse strands it. The type of weave is well known and the be described by referring to the longitudinal strands wherein it passes over a particular transverse strand and. then under the ad-. jacent transverse strand and so on, whereas, strands 12 have opposite characteristics as they pass under and then over the respective transverse strands. The spacing of the strands is 25 preferably the same to form square openings, the size of which determines the mesh of the fabric. For fly screen the wires are fine and the size of the opening small but as the wire increases in size and weight the mesh also increases although 30 not in direct proportion.- However, the principles of the invention are the same for all fabrics.

According to the invention the transverse strands are provided with bent end portions it having a length somewhat greater than the distance between strands so'that the bent portions of adjacent strands overlap. This'reinforces the edges of the fabric and makes a secure joint as the overlapping portions may be spot-welded and also are additionally joined by the galvanizing 40 7 material. Each bent end I6 forms an acute angle with its transverse strand which locates the end l8 of the portion inwardly of the fabric so that the space between the terminal ends of the bent portions is considerably less than the distance from bend to bend or, in other words, between the points l9.

In the fabric of Figure 1 the extent of overlap of the bent portions is practically a minimum. a The design may be modified as shown in Figure 3 in which the bent portions 20 are of a lengthjust slightly .less than twice the distance between strands, which makes the overlap of the portions practically a maximum, a small space 24 remaining between the end of a bent portion and transverse strandwhich is welded in with galvanizing material.

Toprovide a smooth selvage edge and one having' a minimum thickness the invention contemplates bending the ends 18 of the bent portions upwardly as shown in Figure 2 until the terminal ends of the same lie in a plane substantially flush with the upper surface of the fabric. struction forms a well 26 which collects a quantity of the galvanizing liquid during the galvanizing process to more securely bond the overlapping portions. The same formation is given the ends 22 with respect to the fabric of Figure 3.

Uniting the bent portions to an adjacent transverse strand is accomplished by'spot welding the members at points where they cross each other, as shown in Figure 2. Suitable electrodes 30 are employed to securely unite the members .as at 32. For a more secure joint the overlapping portions may also be welded as shown in Figure 3 wherein the overlapping portions are spot welded at 34. The selvage edges of the fabric may be strengthened by locating the adjacent longitudinal strand close to the bent portions as shown in. Figure 4. Here the distance between a bend l9 and the longitudinal strand I2 is one-half the mesh of the fabric, whereas, in Figure 1 the distance is sub-- stantially equal to the mesh of the fabric.

Formanufacturing the present fabric the weaving machines are modified to the extent of elimi-v nating the reciprocating shuttle. The same is made stationary and can therefore supply great lengths of heavy wire for weaving the transverse strands, with the result that frequent stops in the operation of the machine are not necessary. The reciprocating shuttle bars carry a transverse strand from the shuttle on one side of the fabric to the opposite side, whereupon mechanism is actuated to sever the strand adjacent the shuttle and the operation is again repeated after other operations take place, all of which are common to the present method of weaving wire mesh fabric. In the present fabric therefore the transverse strands are individual and are unconnected with each other until their bent portions are united with those of an adjacent strand. In orderto hold the strands in interwoven relation-prior to the bending of their end portions the invention proposes to spot weld the tranverse strands to an outside longitudinal strand as at 36. This spot welding at a point where, the strands cross is duplicated on the respective sides of the fabric and thus holds the woven material in proper position until other operations are completed.

The bending of the end portion I6 is accomplished by suitable mechanism, the ends being bent inwardly forming an acute angle with the transverse strand and also being bent upwardly,

which may be accomplished simultaneously or in two steps. After these steps have been completed the edges of the fabric pass between the electrodes 30 which spot welds the bent portion of one strand to the other adjacent transverse strand as hasdevice will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

This con- I claim:

1. Wire mesh fabric comprising interwoven longitudinal and transverse strands, said transverse strands having end portions bent to form substantially a right angle, the bent end portions of 5 all the transverse strands projecting in the same direction and being rigidly joined to an adjacent transverse strand.

2. Wire mesh fabric comprising spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands, said transverse strands having bent end portions forming substantially a right angle, the bent portions of all the transverse strands projecting in the same direction and lying in substantially the same plane as the longitudinal 15 strands, said bent portions being rigidly joined to an adjacent transverse strand.

3. Wire mesh fabric comprising spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands, said transverse strands having bent 20 end portions forming substantially a rightangle, the bent portions of all the transverse strands projecting in the same direction and lying in substantially the same plane as the longitudinal strands, the bent portions of each transverse 26 strand being rigidly joined to an adjacent strand at points within the bent ends of the same.

4. Wire mesh fabric comprising spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands, said transverse strands having end strands, whereby the bent ends of one strand overlap those of an'adjacent strand,.said overlapping portions being rigidly joined.

5. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal 4o strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent fromthe transverse strands and which are rigidly joined to the bent portions 45 of an adjacent strand.

6. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selvage edges 50 formed by portions bent from the transverse strands and which are joined to an adjacent strand, each bent end portion forming substantially a right angle with its strand and having a length greater than the spacing of the trans- 5 verse strands to overlap the end portion of an adjacent strand.

7. A fabric composed of spacedlongitudinal strands. interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands 60 respectively, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent from the transverse strands and which are joined to an adjacent strand, each bent end portion forming an acute angle with its strand and having a length greater 65 than the distance between transverse strands, whereby the ends of said bent portions overlap the bent portions of an adjacent strand and lie within the same.

8. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal 7o strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent from the transverse strands each bent end portion forming an acute 75 angle with its strand and having a length greater than the distance between transverse strands, whereby the ends of said bent portions overlap the bent portions of an adjacent strand and lie within the same, each bent portion being rigidly joined to the adjacent strand at the point where they cross each other.

9. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selva'ge edges formed by'portions bent from the ends of the transverse strands and which are joined to an adjacent strand, each bent end portion having a length substantially twice thedistance between transverse strands, whereby the end portions of one strand have a maximum overlap with those of an adjacentstrand. I

10. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal D strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectiveiy, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent from the ends of, the

transverse strands and which are joined to an 5 adjacent strand, each bent end portion forming an acute angle with its strand and having a length substantially twice the distance between transverse strands, whereby the end portions bf one strand have a maximum overlap and lie within those of an adjacent strand.

11. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal minating substantially flush with the surface of r us thefabric.

12. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent from the transverse strands, each bent end portion forming an acute angle with its strand and having a length greater than the distance between transverse strands, whereby the ends of said bent portions overlap the bent ends of an adjacent strand and lie within the same, each bent portion being.

welded to the adjacent strand at the point where. a

they cross each other, and the overlappin section of each bent portion forming a recess with its respective transverse strand adapted to re- 1 tain galvanizing material. I

3. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined by the strands respectively, said fabric having selvage edges formed by portions bent from the transverse strands, each bent end portion forming an acute angle with its strand and having a length go greater than the distance between transverse strands, whereby the ends of said bent portions overlap thebent ends of an adjacent strand and lie within the same, each bent portion being welded to the adjacent strand at the point where as they cross each other, and said. overlapping section of each bent portion being directed upwardly and terminating substantially flush with the surface of the fabric.

14. A fabric composed of spaced longitudinal strands interwoven with spaced transverse strands forming openings defined ,by the strands respectively, saidv fabric having selvage, edges formed by portions bent from the ends of the transverse strands and which project in the same :5 direction, each bent end portion forming an acute angle with its strand and having a length greater than the distance between transverse strands, each bent end portion crossing under an adjacent strand and overlapping the bent end 40 of the same, the bent end portions of one strand being welded to an adjacent strand at those points where they cross each other, and the ter -mi nal ends of the bent portions being directed upwardly and terminating substantiallyflush with the surface of the fabric.

NOAH s. 

